Harley Reid reflects on hype, pressure, and 'WA tax' amid Eagles' rise

Harley Reid was living in the spotlight even before he was an AFL player.

In his draft year, the then-17-year old was the centre of intense debate about where he would end up playing, and since his debut with West Coast in 2024 the now 21-year old is still the centre of attention everywhere he goes.

"I think that's probably still something I'm trying to work on. It is hard, don't get me wrong," Reid told 102.5 ABC Perth's SportsTalk program.

"I've been lucky enough to get out of Perth a few times, go camping or whatnot, to reset.

"It is probably something I'm still trying to get my head around and understand."

Such was the hype around his arrival in Western Australia, the state's daily paper featured him 25 times on its back page — before he had played a game.

No player before or since has been more hyped prior to their debut.

"You do definitely notice it but I just try not to let it affect me too much," Reid said after being awarded the Geoff Christian Medal as the ABC's best WA-based player.

"I feel like you do get that pressure, but I feel like if my mental state's there and I've prepared well, the pressure isn't there.

"I know I've done the work. It's all about that preparation as well."

Paying the 'WA Tax'

Reid was crowned West Coast club champion on Friday night when he claimed the John Worsfold Medal and is coming off his best season, but Eagles fans will have to wait until round three in 2027 to see the midfielder in action.

West Coast unsuccessfully challenged his two-game suspension for a dangerous tackle on Hawthorn's Jai Newcombe.

"It's that WA tax. If I was playing in Victoria I reckon we'd have had a different outcome," Reid quipped.

"I was pretty disappointed with the outcome."

It was the latest controversy for Reid, who has given away more free kicks than any other player by this stage of their career.

He also holds the Eagles' record for free kicks conceded in a season.

"I think playing with aggression and bringing that competitive edge is a big part of my game," Reid said.

"I feel at times, me playing on the edge compared to other players, I feel like I've been targeted a lot more in different areas.

"It's just about making sure I'm using my aggression in the right areas and winning the contest, tackling hard and competing for the footy without letting it take me away from my job."

Doing the extra work

Reid is one of the Eagles young stars that the club hopes, along with the likes of Willem Duursma and Reuben Ginbey, will lead them back to the top of the AFL mountain.

And they are doing everything they can to do just that, including establishing the Matt Priddis Academy, named in honour of the 2014 Brownlow medallist, which sees the first-to-fourth year players do a session together each week.

"That's created a great camaraderie between the group and I think it's going to hold us in good stead for the years to come," Reid said.

"For us, it's extra education, extra skills for our mental and physical [sharpness] and just more of the game plan so we keep filtering it through.

"Sometimes it's harder to learn in a massive group so it's just more bringing that group closer together and making sure that education and knowledge that gets passed through is getting soaked into us."